New posthumous Prince albums to include unreleased music

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Prince performs during the halftime show of the NFL's Super Bowl XLI football game between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Florida, U.S. February 4, 2007. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fans of the late singer Prince will get new music from the artist, as two new albums will feature previously unreleased and unheard tracks from the artist’s vault of recordings.

“Prince 4Ever,” available to U.S. audiences on Nov. 22, will feature “Moonbeam Levels,” originally recorded by Prince in 1982, Warner Bros Records and NPG Records said Friday.

The record will include a selection of Prince’s greatest hits such as “Kiss,” “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain,” and will come with a booklet featuring never-seen photos of the artist taken by acclaimed photographer Herb Ritts.

The album is the first posthumous release since Prince’s sudden death in April at age 57 at his Paisley Park, Minnesota estate.

An all-star roster of artists including Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan came together last week in Minnesota to perform a tribute concert to the late artist.

In early 2017, a new remastered and remixed version of Prince’s 1984 record “Purple Rain,” which was agreed with the artist before his death, will be released, featuring old and new songs. No further details were given yet on this album.

Prince notably blended elements of jazz, funk, R&B, disco and rock in a prolific output of more than 30 albums that have sold over 36 million copies in the United States alone since 1978.

He was also known as fiercely determined to maintain creative control over his music, famously changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol for several years during a bitter contract battle with Warner Bros.

The value of his musical legacy, including an extensive cache of unreleased recordings said to be locked in a vault, has been estimated by some to exceed a $500 million, when factoring in future royalties, retail sales and commercial rights.